BMW’s twin turbo 3.0-litre engine – the mighty 306bhp straight six from the 335i – has taken top honours at the 2007 International Engine of the Year Awards, the engineering equivalent of the Oscars.
This is an unprecedented third year in a row that BMW has clinched the title of International Engine of the Year Award – in 2006 it was the M6’s V10 that took the title, and the M5’s V10 claimed gold in 2005. Other winners, judged by the panel of 62 motoring journalists from 30 countries across the globe, included Porsche for its biturbo 3.6-litre flat six (unbelievably, the first time Zuffenhausen has won an IEYA award), Toyota for the Prius’ 1.5-litre hybrid unit, and Volkswagen’s TSI twincharger 1.4-litre unit.
Here’s the full list of winners:
International Engine of the Year 2007 – BMW 3-litre Twin-Turbo (335i)
Best New Engine of 2007 – BMW 3-litre Twin-Turbo (335i)
Best Fuel Economy – Toyota 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)
Best Performance Engine – BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6)
Sub 1-litre – Toyota 1-litre (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1)
1-litre to 1.4-litre – Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Jetta)
1.4-litre to 1.8-litre – BMW-PSA 1.6-litre Turbo (MINI, Peugeot 207)
1.8-litre to 2-litre – Volkswagen 2-litre Turbo (Golf, Audi A3, A6, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia)
2-litre to 2.5-litre – BMW 2.5-litre (325, 525, X3, Z4)
2.5-litre to 3-litre – BMW 3-litre Twin-Turbo (335i)
3-litre to 4-litre Porsche 3.6-litre Turbo (911)
Above 4-litre – BMW 5-litre V10 (M5, M6